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Install Claude Code on Windows

Claude Code is an AI assistant that lives in your terminal and helps you write, debug, and understand code. This guide gets you running natively on Windows in just a few minutes. WSL2 is also available at the end as an optional, more advanced setup.

Key Concepts

• PowerShell - Windows’ built-in command-line tool, used here to install and run Claude Code
• Git for Windows - A free download that adds Git Bash, the shell Claude Code uses to run commands
• WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) - An optional Windows feature that runs a real Linux system alongside Windows, used for the advanced setup at the end

What You’ll Need

• A Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer
• Claude Pro/Max subscription, or an API key
• 5 - 10 minutes

Step 1: Install Git for Windows (optional, recommended)

Git for Windows is recommended but optional. It adds Git Bash, the shell Claude Code uses to run commands. If you skip this step, Claude Code falls back to PowerShell instead — so you can move straight to Step 2 and install Git later if you prefer.

• Go to git-scm.com/download/win
• The download should start automatically — open the installer when it finishes
• Click Next through the installer, accepting the default options
• Click Install, then Finish

That’s it — Claude Code will detect Git Bash automatically when it starts.

Step 2: Install Claude Code

• Click the Windows Start button
• Type PowerShell and click on Windows PowerShell
• In the PowerShell window, type:

   irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
  

• Wait for the installation to complete
• Close and reopen PowerShell, then verify by typing:

   claude --version
  

• You should see the version number of Claude Code

Step 3: Connect to Your Anthropic Account

Option A. Use your Claude Pro or Max subscription

• In the PowerShell window, type:

   claude
  

• Claude tries to open a browser. If it cannot open automatically, hold Ctrl and click on the long URL to open it in a browser. Alternatively, copy the URL and paste it into an external browser.
• Log in to your Claude.ai account (this may happen automatically if you’re using Chrome)
• Click Authorize
• Click Copy Code when a long code appears
• Go back to the terminal window
• To paste in the terminal: Right-click and select Paste (or press Ctrl+Shift+V)
• You should see a success message
• Follow the instructions to complete the setup

The API-based options below stay in PowerShell and use the setx command, which saves a setting permanently. After running setx, close and reopen PowerShell so the change takes effect, then start claude.

Option B. Use Anthropic API key

If you have an Anthropic API key instead of a Claude subscription:

• Get your API key from the Anthropic Console
• In PowerShell, type:

   setx ANTHROPIC_API_KEY "your-api-key-here"
  

  Replace your-api-key-here with your actual API key

• Close and reopen PowerShell for the change to take effect
• Start Claude Code:

   claude
  

Option C. Use OpenRouter API (starts for free!)

OpenRouter is a unified API gateway that provides access to 500+ large language models through a single API key. This can be an economical way to use Claude Code, as you pay only for usage and can choose from models at various price points.

• Sign up at openrouter.ai and log in
• Click Get API key and copy the key to a safe location
• In PowerShell, set the required environment variables:

   setx ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL "https://openrouter.ai/api"
   setx ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN "your-openrouter-api-key"
   setx ANTHROPIC_API_KEY ""
   setx ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL "openai/gpt-5.1-codex-max"
   setx ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL "openai/gpt-5.2-pro"
   setx ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL "minimax/minimax-m2:exacto"
  

• Close and reopen PowerShell, then start Claude Code:

   claude
  

• Verify the connection by typing /status in Claude Code

Notes:

• Replace your-openrouter-api-key with your actual OpenRouter API key
• ANTHROPIC_API_KEY must be explicitly set to empty
• To use alternative models, they must support tool use capabilities. You can override models with:

   setx ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL "model-provider/model-name"
  

• Browse available models at openrouter.ai/models
• Free tier gives you 50 API requests per day
• See the official OpenRouter guide for more details

Option D. Use Anthropic API via Azure Foundry

In PowerShell, paste this code to define the environment variables:

# Enable Microsoft Foundry integration
setx CLAUDE_CODE_USE_FOUNDRY 1
# Azure resource name
setx ANTHROPIC_FOUNDRY_RESOURCE "xxxx-eastus2"
# Set models to your resource's deployment names
setx ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL "claude-opus-4-5"
setx ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL "claude-sonnet-4-5"
setx ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL "claude-haiku-4-5"
setx ANTHROPIC_FOUNDRY_API_KEY "your_api_key"

Note: Replace xxxx-eastus2 with your Foundry Resource name (do not use the entire base URL). Replace your_api_key with your complete API key from your Azure portal.

Then close and reopen PowerShell, and start Claude Code:

claude

You should now be able to use Claude Code with Azure-deployed Claude models.

Step 4: Test Claude Code

You’re all set! Type claude in PowerShell and ask a general question such as “Explain quantum computing.”

Step 5: Access Your Projects

• If you have a project folder, navigate to it in PowerShell:

   cd ~/Documents/test_claude
  

• Then start Claude:

   claude
  

• Start by asking Claude to explain the codebase to you.
• You can ask Claude to make changes.
• Test your code in your preferred IDE.

Note: Claude operates inside a project folder. It saves settings in that folder. It’s Claude’s workspace.

Step 6: (Optional) Install WSL2 for the Full Linux Experience

The native setup above is almost all that most people need. But Claude Code performs better under Linux. WSL2 runs a real Linux system inside Windows and adds Bash tool sandboxing (a security feature) plus better compatibility with Linux toolchains. It takes longer to set up and requires a restart, so only do this if you want the full Linux experience.

a) Check virtualization and install WSL

First, check if virtualization is enabled:

• Right-click on the taskbar (the bar at the bottom of your screen)
• Click on Task Manager from the menu
• If Task Manager opens in a small window, click More details at the bottom
• Click on the Performance tab at the top
• Click on CPU in the left sidebar
• Find the line that says Virtualization: and check if it says Enabled

If it says “Disabled”: You need to enable virtualization in your computer’s BIOS settings:

• Restart your computer
• During startup, press the BIOS key (usually F2, F10, Del, or Esc - it depends on your computer manufacturer)
• Look for settings related to “Virtualization Technology”, “Intel VT-x”, “AMD-V”, or “SVM Mode”
• Enable these settings
• Save and exit BIOS (usually F10)

Now install WSL:

• Click the Windows Start button, type PowerShell
• Right-click on Windows PowerShell and click Run as administrator
• Click Yes when asked “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?”
• In the PowerShell window, type:

   wsl --install
  

• You might see messages like “Installing: Windows Subsystem for Linux” and “Installing: Ubuntu”
• When installation is complete, restart your computer

Note: wsl --install requires Windows 10 version 2004 or higher, or Windows 11. If the command is not recognized, your Windows version may be too old.

b) Set up Ubuntu

After your computer restarts, a terminal window with “Ubuntu” in the title should open automatically within 2-5 minutes. If it doesn’t, click the Windows Start button, type Ubuntu, and click the Ubuntu app (orange circle icon).

• Wait for the message: Enter new UNIX username:
• Type a username (lowercase letters and numbers only, no spaces) — for example john
• You’ll see: New password:
• Type a simple password (you won’t see the characters as you type — this is normal)
• Type the same password again when prompted

Important: Remember this username and password — you’ll need them later.

c) Install Claude Code in WSL

• In the Ubuntu terminal, type:

   curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
  

• Verify by typing:

   claude --version
  

• Connect your account by typing claude in the Ubuntu terminal and following the browser login (the same as Step 3, Option A). If you use an API key instead, set it with export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key-here" (WSL uses Linux commands, not setx)
• To open a Windows project folder from WSL:

   cd /mnt/c/Users/Username/Documents/test_claude
  

  Replace Username with your actual Windows username.

Next Steps

• Set up VS Code: Follow the VS Code Getting Started guide, then connect it to Claude Code with Claude Code in VS Code (Windows)
• Learn Git basics: Add version control to your projects with Claude Code Git on Windows
• Try a project: Work through Writing a Research Paper with Claude Code to see Claude Code in action

Troubleshooting

First step: Run Claude Doctor

If something isn’t working, try running this command first:

claude doctor

This built-in diagnostic tool checks your installation and reports common issues.

Claude command not found (native Windows)

• Close and reopen PowerShell
• Try running the installation command again:

   irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
  

• Make sure your PATH includes the Claude installation directory

“Please enable the Virtual Machine Platform Windows feature and ensure virtualization is enabled in the BIOS”

This error means virtualization is not enabled:

• Check Task Manager to see if virtualization is enabled (see the optional WSL section above)
• If disabled, enable it in your computer’s BIOS
• After enabling virtualization, restart your computer and try wsl --install again

“wsl –install” doesn’t work

• Make sure you’re running PowerShell as Administrator
• Make sure you have Windows 10 version 2004+ or Windows 11
• Try running: wsl --update first, then try wsl --install again

Ubuntu window doesn’t open after restart

• Click the Windows Start button, type Ubuntu, and click the Ubuntu app to launch it manually

Need Help?

• For WSL issues: Microsoft WSL Documentation
• For Claude Code issues: Claude Code GitHub

Created by Steven Ge on December 11, 2025. Updated June 2026.